Clarification from the agency

This announcement is advertised under Direct Hire Authority and is open to all United States Citizens or Nationals. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) eligibles only within the Local Commuting area of Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, Kansas City, MO, Philadelphia, PA or Woodlawn, MD. CTAP, ICTAP, RPL eligible applicants may only select the local commuting area from which they were separated.

• Perform program policy work related to national health insurance programs, such as Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Basic Health Program (BHP).
• Conduct analysis of policy issues and topics, research background information, the origin of laws, and the intended impact in order to make effective policy recommendations.
• Conduct analytical studies and evaluate the effectiveness of program initiatives by gathering, organizing, and interpreting data.
• Attend meetings and conferences with CMS staff and serve as a source of background data on the basis of research performed in preparation for the meetings and conferences.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply for this position.
• You will be subject to a background and suitability investigation.

Qualifications

ALL QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

Your resume (limited to no more than 2 pages) must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting supplemental information to describe your experience will result in an ineligible rating. This will prevent you from receiving further consideration.

In order to qualify for the GS-09 level position, you must clearly demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include:

1. Reviewing proposed, modified, or new health insurance legislation to assess the impact on national health insurance programs; AND
2. Gathering and analyzing information pertaining to health insurance program policies or operations to prepare various reports and documents.

- OR -
Substitution of Education for Experience: You may substitute education for specialized experience at the GS-09 level by possessing a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related to the position being filled.
- OR -
Combination of Experience and Education: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the GS-07 grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the grade GS-09. Therefore, only education in excess of 1 full year of graduate level education may be used to combine education and experience.

TRANSCRIPTS are required to verify satisfactory completion of the educational requirement related to the substitution of education for experience and the combination of experience and education. Please refer to the "Required Documents" section below for the documentation required at the time of application. If selected, official transcripts will be required.

In order to qualify for the GS-11 level position, you must clearly demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include:

1. Assisting with the analysis of national health insurance programs (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, Marketplace) to address program issues; AND
2. Assisting with drafting health insurance program technical documents such as options papers or program guidance to communicate health insurance program policies.

- OR -
Substitution of Education for Experience: You may substitute education for specialized experience at the GS-11 level by possessing a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or equivalent doctoral degree or LL.M., if related to the position being filled.
- OR -
Combination of Experience and Education: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the GS-09 grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the grade GS-11. Therefore, only education in excess of a master's degree or its equivalent, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, may be used to combine education and experience.

TRANSCRIPTS are required to verify satisfactory completion of the educational requirement related to the substitution of education for experience and the combination of experience and education. Please refer to the "Required Documents" section below for the documentation required at the time of application. If selected, official transcripts will be required.

In order to qualify for the GS-12 level position, you must clearly demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include:

1. Analyzing Medicaid guidelines to address program policy issues; AND
2. Drafting various Medicaid-related technical documents such as options papers or program guidance to communicate health insurance program policies; AND
3. Advising leadership regarding Medicaid program policy analysis.

Substitution of Education for Experience: There is no substitution of education to meet the specialized experience requirement at the GS-12 grade level.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Click the following link to view the occupational questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12932106

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide in the application questionnaire, and the results of the online assessment(s) required for this position. A Subject Matter Expert may assist in the resume review process to help determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Reading
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

RPL Applicants
RPL applicants who are verified as registered for the same series, grade, and location as this vacancy announcement will be placed in one of the following categories based on category rating procedures:

• Best Qualified - significantly exceeds the evaluation criteria
• Well Qualified - excelsin the evaluation criteria
• Qualified - meets the minimum qualification requirements

If you are found to be among the top-qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

The category rating process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of professional or scientific positions at the GS-09 level or higher).

The following documents are REQUIRED:

1. Resume showing relevant experience; cover letter optional. NOTE: As of September 27, 2025, federal agencies will only accept resumes that are two pages or less in length. Your resume must indicate your citizenship and whether you are registered with the Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/59. Your resume must also list your work experience and education (if applicable), including the start and end dates (mm/yyyy) of each employment, along with the number of hours worked per week. For work in the Federal service, you must include the series and grade level for the position(s). Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s). For resume and application tips, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include.

2. CMS Required Documents (e.g., SF-50, DD-214, SF-15, etc.). Required documents may be necessary to be considered for this vacancy announcement. Click here for a detailed description of the required documents. Failure to provide the required documentation WILL result in an ineligible rating OR non-consideration.

3. RPL Eligibility Required Documents: The following documents are required to verify your RPL eligibility: 1) Your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), or equivalent, as stated in the job announcement that shows position occupied (block #34 of your SF-50), tenure, grade and step, salary, and full performance level; 2) Your SF-50 showing Separation - RIF. If that is not available yet, then official documentation of your Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice or a proposed removal/separation notice; AND 3) Your latest performance rating and rating of record (if separate documents) showing your rating score as at least fully successful or equivalent.

4. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency-Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to commencing the USA Hire Competency-Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency-Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency-Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need an RA, please click here to review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

5. College Transcripts. Although this position does not require a degree, you may substitute college credit in whole or in part for experience at specified grade levels. You must submit transcripts at the time of application to substitute education for the required experience. If you do not, your education will not be considered in determining your qualifications for the position. You may submit an unofficial transcript or a list of college courses completed, indicating course title, credit hours, and grades received. An official transcript is required if you are selected for the position. Education obtained outside of the U.S. must be evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure it is comparable to education received in the U.S.: National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.

PLEASE NOTE: A complete application package includes the online application, resume, and CMS required documents. Please carefully review the full job announcement, which includes the "Required Documents" and "How to Apply" sections. Failure to submit the online application, resume, and CMS required documents will result in your not being considered for employment.

Next steps

Additional locations